Miffed by the incidents of violence aimed at AAP volunteers in Varansai, the party on Friday asked the Election Commission for deployment of more central security forces and senior observers in the temple town from where Arvind Kejriwal is taking on Narendra Modi.

“We expect these attacks to become worse in the days to come. In these circumstances, I would request you to direct the deployment of some central security forces and some senior central observers in Varanasi to ensure that the campaign is not marred by violence,” party leader and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan said in his letter to EC.

The demand comes at the backdrop of a recent attack on former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti, allegedly by BJP workers, at Assi Ghat on Wednesday. The AAP MLA was campaigning for Kejriwal. Bhushan also lashed out at the local police for their “apathetic attitude”. “This is in continuation of several attacks by goons employed by the BJP to disrupt the campaigning by Arvind Kejriwal and his volunteers in Varanasi. The local police authorities are unable and unwilling to do anything to stop there attacks or to identify and apprehend the masterminds behind these attacks.

“It appears that there is a concerted attempt on the instructions and instigation of sections of the leadership of the BJP to encourage and abet these attacks, which are preventing a fair campaign by us,” he said.

In the letter, Bhushan has also attached a copy of the complaint made by Bharti to Varanasi SSP over cops inaction in the case. After the incident, AAP leaders had said that Bharti has not yet lodged the complaint. “So far I have lodged no formal complaint with the police believing that they will act on their own, but its more than 13 hours and not even once have the police contacted me. It’s a matter of judicial investigation that in spite of the event being recorded live, police has not moved an inch in the case,” Bharti said in his letter to the SSP on Thursday.